The goals of informative speaking are to convey knowledge, create understanding, and help listeners remember important points. Four types of informative speeches were discussed in this chapter:

• Definition speeches give an extended definition of a concept so that listeners get a full, richly detailed picture of its meaning.
• Description speeches paint a vivid picture of a person, place, object, or event.
• Process speeches explain the steps or stages by which something is done or made.
• Expository speeches involve explaining a concept or situation to the audience. In-depth research should be conducted.

In developing an informative speech, keep these guidelines in mind: (1) Relate the speech to the listeners' self-interest, if at all possible. Show them explicitly the connection between your material and their personal lives. (2) Make the information interesting by going beyond generalities to give lots of specifics, such as examples and anecdotes. (3) Assess the knowledge of your listeners. Don't give them information they already know, and don't talk over their heads. (4) When you want to explain or describe something that is unfamiliar to your audience, relate it to something that is familiar.